Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Saley Days of Summer are Over

The crazy summer blow out sale was a huge success! We moved boxes and boxes of books and the orders just kept pouring in. Thanks so much to everyone who bought a book plus one to share!

I hope all you parents had a great summer and are ready to gear up for fall. I love Back To School time!! Can you believe it's just around the corner already? I'm starting to put together shmoo's third grade learning plan and order new math and history books. I really do enjoy sitting down with him for lessons each day, so I'm excited about all we'll get to learn and do this year.

Unfortunately for all you bento fans, we won't have much need for lunch boxes this year. Staying at home generally negates the need for a packed lunch, you know. Besides, I'm sure you can tell that I've always made my more elaborate lunches more for my own sense of artistic and aesthetic accomplishment than for shmoo. It was easy to find the time when shmoo was off at school all day, but now that he is home with me and has also gotten older (9 as of this week!) he really has lost interest in the whole endeavor. At the same time my sense of creative fulfillment has shifted to helping with his education and to a number of volunteer efforts. It's been a fantastic adventure, and I'm excited to be moving on to new things.

Having said that, I want to let you all know that there are only a few boxes of Vegan Lunch Box left. If you wish to order a copy for this school year, you probably want to do so quite soon! After these final cases are gone, it will be several months before the book becomes available again.

66 comments:

I'll miss this blog, but just last night I was making another run through the book and feeling overwhelmed by all the recipes I want to try--and normally, I'm much more interested in writing recipes than following them. You've produced quite an opus, and if you ever do get a hankering for a project like this again I think it's safe to say you'd get a warm reception. Thanks for all the fantastic ideas!

I am going to miss this blog. I hope you do update it in some manner, whether with new dinner recipes or ideas for lesson plans. :] I wish you the best of luck with home schooling. I was home schooled myself and I think it was much better than public school.

thanks so much for all the energy & creativity you brought to your amazing blog. I hope you will keep it up for the archives...You inspired me to help make being vegan and lunch time for my boys something magic that they will always remember.

this blog, and the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook, have been so inspiring to me for the past year (I have been following your blog for that long, and have only just recently started my own blog, this past June). Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with everyone! Good luck to Shmoo with third grade - how exciting! - and to you, with all of your future endeavors :0)

I wish you all the best in home schooling and just wanted to thank you for all your wonderful recipes and hard work it took to share all your wonderful recipes with us.I will always keep the Vegan Lunch Box on hand. Maybe once a month or so you could share what you are having for "lunch at home." Shmoo is lucky to have such a great mom. Denise Bonjorno

I will certainly miss seeing shmoo's yummy lunch box creations. I thoroughly enjoy cooking from VLB and you should take so much pride in such an awesome accomplishment! Like all the others, I will definitely miss this blog. Good luck with upcoming school year!!

Thank you for everything, Jennifer and Schmoo. You have never seen me comment before and I arrived late, but your blog and book (which I bought of course) were a major inspiration for me to begin not only eating a healthier, plant-heavy diet, but to cook. I used to eat mostly microwaveable dinners - full of chemicals - and individually packaged stuff - also full of chemicals. This blog was a major, major factor in my decision to start cooking for myself, and eating more vegetables. It showed me how cute and how delicious vegetables can be. I realized yesterday at the store that I don't even buy potato chips any more, and my grocery bills have gone down so much. The food is much more delicious and fresh too (now I get produce from the Farmer's Market). Thank you so much for everything, Jennifer and Schmoo. I am sure your new creative endeavors and all your volunteer efforts will be just as inspiring.

Hi Jen,I will miss your blog as much everyone else will. I do wish you the best with homeschooling. I homeschooled both my girls though high school and even did the tough quizing for their college classes. It takes a special mom to homeschool and you fit the bill.

I hope you will still share your yummy vegan cooking along the way and how shmoo is doing. We have all grown attached to your family and adventures.

Thank you for the time, talents, and energy you have put into this wonderful and inspiring blog.

I wish you all the best in your latest endeavor! I just got my copy of Vegan Lunch Box and can't wait to incorporate the ideas into our lives, even though we also do not have any need for a school lunch box!

Well, I'll miss your blog but will be happy to think of you at home with your son! AS for me... it'll be back to school... as a teacher! So pretty soon it'll be time to get the lunchbox out. Thanks for the cookbook (I got mine in time!) and all of the support, just by being there.

Like everyone else, I'm sorry to see that you and Shmoo have outgrown the lunches, but want to write and thank you for the last few years! I've shared your blog and cookbook with friends and everyone at my veggie friendly culinary school, and will use some of your recipes for my final project.

Thanks and good luck! I do hope you'll check in with us lonely blogreaders!

Weve loved your blog and got much inspiration from it. Home schooling blogs are fun to do too ;) We would love to hear how you're doing. I just know that your creativity and enthusiasm are going to create wonderful educational experiences for your son :)

I loved your lunch blog and we use your book often to inspire our bento lunches.

I certainly hope you will continue blogging about your homeschooling adventures. We all appreciate your perspective on health and well being and would welcome a peak into how you advance with your homeschooling activities. With any luck, you might find a groove that leads to another fabulous book.

i'm sad to know i won't be seeing as many posts (or any?) of your delicious and beautifully packed lunches this year, but thank you. i found your blog soon after i became vegan, and i needed all the advice/food tips i could get. you inspired me to become more adventurous in the kitchen with your great recipes.

you know would be an easy switch along the same line, would be potluck meals. Something you make the night before and goes well to church or to a party, where people/friends/family don't think your food is mystery food. My husband always says try your new stuff at potluck.

I appreciate the hard work and commitment you put into this project. I also enjoyed your personal blog, especially the advice and comments on giving up sugar. I hope that you will continue sharing your thoughts on a blog of some kind! Thanks for everything, it was awesome!

Thanks for the inspiration! We will always think of you and schmoo while making vegan twinkies and corndogs!We hope to hear from your from time to time and wish you the best of luck with homeschooling. That's out goal too!

Well I will miss seeing the frequent entries but it has been a wonderful ride. Congrats on homeschooling -- that's what we're doing here with my 5-year-old this fall; I can hardly wait! Best to you and yours.

Congratulations on your decision to homeschool! I've been reading your blog for a while even though we homeschool. (The only one taking a lunch in our house is my husband, and he packs dinner leftovers himself.)

But your blog has really drawn me in with its exuberant spirit, great photography, and clever creativity. How about channeling that into a new homeschooling blog? (BTW--my son is also starting 3rd grade, too!)

My kids aren't even in school yet and this gives me great ideas on what to feed them other than PB&J and Veggie corn dogs. Thank you so much for moving me past that. I hope that you try maybe adding recipes for the whole family for dinner or stay at home lunches, because that would also be a good inspiration to somebody like me. Best of luck to you in what ever you do. :~)

Thank you Jennifer for all the hard work you put into this blog! I think you've really helped alot of people become vegan or just become better vegan cooks. Three cheers for the Vegan Lunch Box! And a happy birthday to Schmoo!

I hope we will continue to see posts from you....homeschooled kids eat lunch too! My three looked forward to their bento lunches last year every park day with our homeschool group even more than playing at the park!

hi, just wanted to stop in and say how much i love your cookbook and your blog. i am busy testing out some of your recipes on my kids for the fall, and i was wondering how well your soups freeze? i'd love to be able to make a whole batch, and then freeze them in kid sized lunch portions.

Hi, Michelle -- Yes, I've frozen every soup in the cookbook and they all freeze very well. Some separation may occur after the soup has been frozen and thawed; whisk it as it heats or run it through the blender briefly and you're as good as new.

I just wanted to add that I saw the awesome sandwich wraps & a bunch of other cool things at www.idealbite.com - I think there are plenty of things that maybe Jennifershmoo would enjoy as well. I must say I saw the sandwich wraps & other storage containers here first & absolutely love the organized lunchbox! :)

I just checked in to see all the lunches Shmoo has been having for school this year and AAH! No lunches! I found your blog last year and ordered your VLB book during the summer sale -- and have enjoyed all of it. I'm not a vegan or even vegetarian, but I found great inspiration for just making food look prettier and I've even tried some of the vegan ingredients. Thank you! I wish you the best in your homeschooling endeavor and hope to come across more of your writings in the future -- whenever you decide to hop back into the blogosphere.Take care, -Anna